{"id":1219,"date":"2018-09-14T04:00:36","date_gmt":"2018-09-14T14:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thecurbkaimuki.com\/2018\/09\/14\/kaafi-in-the-hague-american-born-british-trained-with-a-pakistani-twist\/"},"modified":"2018-10-01T01:00:45","modified_gmt":"2018-10-01T11:00:45","slug":"kaafi-in-the-hague-american-born-british-trained-with-a-pakistani-twist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecurbkaimuki.com\/2018\/09\/14\/kaafi-in-the-hague-american-born-british-trained-with-a-pakistani-twist\/","title":{"rendered":"Kaafi In The Hague: American Born, British Trained, With A Pakistani Twist"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"kaafi<\/p>\n

\"kaafi<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Last year, Amsterdam decided to up its tourist tax, put the kibosh on downtown hotel-building, restricted how many days residents could Airbnb their abodes, and <\/span>nixed the city center from opening new \u201ctourist shops\u201d<\/span><\/a>\u2014bad news for venues selling everything from Nutella-shellacked waffles to souvenir T-shirts (my favorite reads: <\/span>GOOD GIRLS GO TO HEAVEN BAD GIRLS GO TO AMSTERDAM<\/span><\/i>).<\/span><\/p>\n

Whether or not the limits and levies push you out of the Dutch capital, note that there is now a distinct southwesterly pull away from it anyway\u2014to The Hague. Museums full of Mondrians, international tribunals, and the brisk beaches of the North Sea aside, a must-visit in this city, discerning drinker, is Kaafi<\/a>. The cafe opened in June 2017, in the Hofkwartier, a picturesque shopping district with no shortage of specialty coffee. Yet so much distinguishes Kaafi from other spots in <\/span>The Hague<\/span> and, for that matter, the Netherlands.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"kaafi<\/span><\/p>\n

A telltale sign is the house espresso, the <\/span>Red Brick<\/span> blend roasted by Square Mile Coffee Roasters<\/a> in London. And following Square Mile\u2019s recommended specs for that very brew, Kaafi uses a three-group\u00a0<\/span>Victoria Arduino VA388 Black Eagle Gravitech<\/span><\/a> espresso machine\u2014a rare bird in the Netherlands, with its <\/span>impressive b<\/span>uilt-in weighing system<\/span>. This is no coincidence. Kaafi\u2019s founder, Zeeshan Malik, was lured into the industry at London\u2019s legendary <\/span>Prufrock Coffee<\/span><\/a>, to which Square Mile is a principal supplier.<\/span><\/p>\n

From afar, Malik appears serious, if not stoic. But exchange one word with him and he is instantly disarming and buoyantly conversational. A Manhattan-born American who spent his teen years in The Hague and attended law school in London, the almost-30-year-old first became acquainted with Prufrock as an unassuming customer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI just kinda walked into the place. It was a rainy day and I just needed a place to study,\u201d recalls Malik. \u201cI had my first cup, which was probably a Red Brick cappuccino.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Before long, though, he became an obsessive hobbyist, enrolling in Prufrock\u2019s training program and taking course after course, from the barista skills foundations to an authorized training certification. \u201cI was very lucky to have an amazing mentor,\u201d Malik says of\u00a0<\/span>Jeremy Challender<\/span>, who at the time co-ran Prufrock.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"kaafi<\/p>\n

Zeeshan Malik<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cHe would have a whiteboard in front of him,\u201d Malik describes of the drills Challender put him through. \u201cHe timed everything I did, from the moment I started grinding to how idle I am while I\u2019m steaming milk. And it\u2019d be like, \u2018Well you just wasted 20 seconds steaming milk when you could be doing other things, like setting up a saucer and a teaspoon.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After completing schooling and becoming disillusioned with lawyering in London, Malik moved back to The Hague. Eventually, he found \u201cthe courage to say, \u2018This is what I wanna do, for real,\u2019\u201d as he puts it. \u201cI mean, I had the most kitted-out home barista kit you\u2019ll ever see. I was the guy who had a [Mahlk\u00f6nig] EK43<\/a> at home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Today the pet Mahlk\u00f6nig <\/span>EK43<\/span> is a workhorse at Kaafi, along with two\u00a0<\/span>Victoria Arduino Mythos One<\/span><\/a> grinders. Nitro cold brew is seasonally available, and Malik plans to soon offer Turkish coffee\u2014apt for a brand with a whirling dervish logo. Like Prufrock, Kaafi features a usual rotation of light-roasted coffees from dark-weather Europe (<\/span>La Cabra<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>The Barn<\/span><\/a>, etc.).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"kaafi<\/span><\/p>\n

In the Netherlands, early-morning consumption culture is in its nascence, which Malik found out at the start, when Kaafi opened at 7:30 and was \u201cabsolutely dead\u201d til 10am. He adjusted accordingly, although \u201cthat\u2019s double digits already\u2014like, life should be <\/span>well<\/span><\/i> into play by 10 o\u2019clock,\u201d he muses, expressing hope to one day \u201cstart inching towards 9:30.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Anticipating a day when Kaafi could potentially approach big-city busy, Malik wanted \u201cto create a bar that was optimized for workflow and quality consistency,\u201d he says. \u201cI always ask myself, ‘Do I have a bar that one person could handle on their own?’ And the answer to that inevitably is yes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The image of a solo staffer is comfortably projected onto the two<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Marco SP9<\/span><\/a>s that are used to prepare filter coffee. The choice has<\/span> been <\/span>a local talking point, for which Malik has a considered response.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy least favorite part of being a barista is pouring hot water. I think it\u2019s just not something that you need to be spending time on,\u201d he emphasizes. \u201cProponents of manual pour-over might say that it provides a better experience, but to that, I say, it\u2019s 2018, and most of our customers are familiar with the way a pour-over coffee is made. There\u2019s no need to be showing that off when you can be tending to them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"kaafi<\/p>\n

\"kaafi<\/span><\/p>\n

Gear and groove aside, another trait that sets Kaafi apart is kinship. Malik\u2019s parents, since retired from continent-spanning work as Pakistani diplomats, have embraced second careers\u2014alongside their son. Malik\u2019s father is Kaafi\u2019s head chef, fulfilling a longtime fantasy to have his own restaurant and now creating delectable takes on cafe fare, such as brie br\u00fbl\u00e9e toasties; Malik\u2019s mother is his pastry chef, producing a score of sweets with Pakistani twists, like the signature pistachio cardamom cheesecake. Malik\u2019s little brother was his first employee and his wife, a human rights lawyer by day, moonlights as his marketer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"kaafi<\/span><\/p>\n

The cafe comfortably sits 40. A dapper family-den feeling characterizes the main floor. It contrasts with the elevated back area that Malik calls \u201cour inspiration-slash-productivity space,\u201d hosting a \u201ccupping table that masks as a communal-seating table.\u201d Bright and minimalist, the alcove welcomes patrons to work, staying as long as they wish; the table height is ideal for standing typists and outlets encourage laptops (and during off-hours, kettles).<\/span><\/p>\n

Clearly influenced by his inculcation at Prufrock and helped by his family\u2019s panoramic support, Malik offers a kind of hospitality and attention on the guest that remains scarce in the Netherlands. So for visitors to The Hague, including those of us from Amsterdam, Kaafi is definitely something to write home about.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kaafi is located at Prinsestraat 25, The Hague<\/a>. Visit their official website<\/a> and follow them on Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/div>\n

Karina Hof is a Sprudge staff writer based in Amsterdam. Read more\u00a0Karina Hof on Sprudge<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Some photos courtesy of Kaafi.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

The post Kaafi In The Hague: American Born, British Trained, With A Pakistani Twist<\/a> appeared first on Sprudge<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Source: Coffee News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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